What does "arrow" mean?
A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
Arrow
/ˈæɹ.əʊ/ contraction, name, noun, verb, slang
contraction, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
- Grammar: arrow is listed as contraction, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pointer, antelope, arrowhead, barb.
- Useful contrasts: bullets, italian lanciare, line.
- Usage evidence: An arrow passed through the hawk.
How to use "arrow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "arrow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "arrow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "arrow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "arrow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "arrow" is acting as contraction, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pointer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "arrow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow.
"The Citizens in their rage, imagining that euery poſt in the Churche had bin one of yᵉ Souldyers, ſhot habbe or nabbe at randon^([sic – meaning random]) uppe to the Roode lofte, and to the Chancell, leauing ſome of theyr arrowes ſticking in the Images."
- 2 a projectile with a straight thin shaft and an arrowhead on one end and stabilizing vanes on the other; intended to be shot from a bow wordnet
- 3 A sign or symbol used to indicate a direction (e.g.→).
"Consider now the arrow with initial point A and terminal point B; this arrow we shall designate by #92;overrightarrow#123;AB#125;. If a#95;1,a#95;2,a#95;3, and b#95;1,b#95;2,b#95;3 are the coordinates of A and B, respectively, then #92;overrightarrow#123;AB#125; is equal to the arrow #92;overrightarrow#123;OP#125;, where O is the origin of the coordinate system and P has coordinates b#95;1-a#95;1,b#95;2-a#95;2,b#95;3-a#95;3. Thus each arrow is equal to one having the origin as its initial point."
- 4 a mark to indicate a direction or relation wordnet
- 5 A directed edge.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A morphism.
- 7 A dart. colloquial
"The second arrow flew through the air in a drunken parabolic curve and nestled just below the previous dart. Twenty! “Good arrows!” came from all around the room. Total silence came from the opposition corner."
- 8 The -> symbol, which has specific meanings in various programming languages.
- 9 The inflorescence or tassel of a mature sugar cane plant.
"When the bulb of the “blowing ball” is operated, a gentle spray, much like what happens in Nature when a sugar cane arrow is shaken by the wind or gently tapped, is given out at the free end of the capsule and can be directed to any portion of the arrow as desired."
Verb
- 1 To move swiftly and directly (like an arrow). intransitive
"Above his head, a startled bird arrows up, into the sun."
- 2 To let fly swiftly and directly. transitive
"Jermain Defoe dinked in an equaliser and Gareth Bale hit the crossbar for the hosts before Elliott Bennett arrowed in Norwich's winner."
- 3 To develop an inflorescence. intransitive
"The more vigorous and luxuriant the vegetation of a field of canes, the less will the tendency to flowering be shewn; whereas nearly all the canes will be found to arrow if the soil be poor and the vegetation meagre."
- 4 To navigate using the arrow keys. intransitive
"Arrow left until you reach the start of the text you want to delete."
- 5 To single out or nominate (someone) to be responsible for something, especially an undesirable task. Singapore, Singlish, transitive
"Just because I never come for meeting … my boss arrow me to do this job."
Contraction
- 1 Contraction of ever + a, sometimes used with a redundant a or an. abbreviation, alt-of, contraction, obsolete
"though he hath lived here this many years, I don't believe there is arrow a servant in the house ever saw the colour of his money."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A village on the River Arrow in Arrow with Weethley parish, Stratford-on-Avon district, Warwickshire, England (OS grid ref SP0856).
- 3 A river in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, England, which flows into the Warwickshire Avon.
- 4 A river in Powys, Wales and Herefordshire, England, which flows into the River Lugg.
- 5 A river in Otago, New Zealand, which flows through Arrowtown to the Kawarau River.
Show 1 more definition
- 6 An unincorporated community and old coal town in Pike County, Kentucky, United States.
Example
"An arrow passed through the hawk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "arrow"?
Common synonyms include: pointer, antelope, arrowhead, barb, blaze, blue darter.
How do you use "arrow" in a sentence?
An arrow passed through the hawk.
How do you pronounce "arrow"?
Pronounced /ˈæɹ.əʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English arwe, from Old English earh (oblique form ēarw-), from Proto-West Germanic *arhu, from Proto-Germanic *arhwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂érkʷo- (“bow, arrow”). Cognate with Faroese ørv (“arrow”), Icelandic ör (“arrow”), örvar (“arrows”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐍈𐌰𐌶𐌽𐌰 (arƕazna, “dart”), Latin arcus (“bow”).
Etymology 2
Representing pronunciation.